NHRA officials have revealed the season schedule for the 2016 Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series….
Entering its ninth season, the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series features Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars, and has become a fan-favorite among drag racing enthusiasts with classes for front engine dragsters, altereds and gassers.
The season opens with a new event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Jan. 16-17 for Groups 1 & 2, followed by the famed Good Vibrations March Meet and the kick off for the Nostalgia Top Fuel and Funny Cars, March 4-6 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., and The Nostalgia Reunion at Sacramento (Calif.) Raceway in early April. The series then heads north for the first of two stops at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho, the NAPA Auto Parts Ignitor.
The series benefits the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California through a pair of Hot Rod Reunions that are produced by the Museum. The Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky., is the first on the schedule slated for June 16-18 and will be followed by the popular California Hot Rod Reunion presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California that will celebrate its 25th Anniversary event and will conclude the series, Oct. 21-23 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield.
“The NHRA Motorsports Museum is proud once again to have our Hot Rod Reunions be a part of the NHRA Heritage Series,” said Larry Fisher, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. “The Hot Rod Reunions and the Heritage Series are just one of the ways that the NHRA Motorsports Museum and NHRA work with you to preserve and celebrate the story of American Hot Rodding. By being a part of the Reunions, racers and spectators alike help us share this uniquely American story with future generations.”
The series returns to Rocky Mountain Raceways with a doubleheader weekend in early June with two separate events for racers in Groups 1 & 2 along with Funny Car action on Friday and Saturday. A Funny Car only event returns to Mission Raceway Park in July for its fourth year on the schedule before the series heads back to Firebird for its traditional Nightfire Nationals event that features both the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories in August. Group 2 classes then end their season at the Nostalgia Fall Championship at Auto Club Famoso in September.
The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series consists of two nitro categories — Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster and Nostalgia Funny Car — and two groups of additional classes. Group 1 includes A/Fuel, Jr. Fuel, and 7.0 Eliminator, and Group 2 includes Nostalgia Eliminator I, Nostalgia Eliminator II, Nostalgia Eliminator III, A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, D/Gas, and Hot Rod eliminator. Racers in each class will run a combination of events at which they will score points toward the championships.
The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series was developed in 2008 to help preserve NHRA’s rich history and tradition while providing racing opportunities for those enthusiasts who enjoy nostalgia drag racing competition.
2016 Season Schedule
Heritage Series Opener Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Jan. 16-17 (Groups 1&2)
Good Vibrations March Meet Auto Club Famoso Mar. 4-6 (TF/FC/Groups 1&2)
Nostalgia Reunion Sacramento Raceway April 1-3 (Groups 1&2)
NAPA Auto Parts Ignitor Firebird Raceway April 29-May 1 (FC)
Summer Kick-Off Rocky Mountain Raceways June 10-11 (FC/Group 1&2)
Holley National Hot Rod Reunion Beech Bend Raceway June 16-18 (TF)
NHRA National Open Mission Raceway Park July 23-24 (FC)
Pepsi Nightfire Nationals Firebird Raceway Aug. 11-14 (TF/FC)
Nostalgia Fall Championships Auto Club Famoso Sept. 17-18 (Group 2)
California Hot Rod Reunion Auto Club Famoso Oct. 21-23 (TF/FC)
Classes Key
TF – Nostalgia Top Fuel
FC – Nostalgia Funny Car
Group 1 – A/Fuel, Jr. Fuel, 7.0 Eliminator
Group 2 – NE 1, NE 2, NE 3, A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, D/Gas, Hot Rod
Posted by: Eric Lotz
DragRaceCanada file photos
